Shakshuka

A savoury egg sensation – there are so many recipes for this hugely popular Middle Eastern dish and we think it makes a great one-pot lunch or supper as well as a brunch. Here’s our latest version, which is packed full of herbs and spices. Give it a try and you’ll never look back.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan that has a lid. Add the onions and peppers and season them with salt and pepper. Cook the veg over a medium heat until they’ve softened but still have a little bite – you don’t want them to collapse down too much.

Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes, then sprinkle the cumin and caraway seeds and the cayenne into the pan. Stir in the tomato or red pepper purée and cook for a couple more minutes until the paste starts to separate. Add the tomatoes with a splash of water.

Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes, uncovered, until it has reduced a little. Taste after 5 minutes and add a little sugar if you think the tomatoes need it. Keep an eye on the texture – you don’t want the sauce runny, but it mustn’t be too dry, either. If it does look dry, add another splash of water. When the sauce is reduced, stir in the herbs.

Make 8 little wells in the sauce. One at a time, break the eggs into a cup and drop them carefully into the wells. Cook for a few more minutes until the whites are just set and the yolks are still runny. You might find it hard to make enough space for 8 eggs in one pan. If so, divide the sauce between 2 pans and cook 4 eggs in each.